Italian champions Juventus on Thursday said rape allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo do not change their opinion of their superstar player.
The Portuguese striker “has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus”, the team said on Twitter, breaking their silence over the claims made by an American model.
“The events allegedly dating back to almost 10 years ago do not change this opinion, which is shared by anyone who has come into contact with this great champion.”
Juventus later posted a video on YouTube and Twitter showing Ronaldo working up a sweat as he trained with his teammates at the team’s Continassa centre in Turin for Saturday’s league game against Udinese.
“Juventus go for goal. Cristiano Ronaldo finds the target!” read the caption beside the video.
The defending Serie A champions’ tweets were widely panned on social media as “shockingly dismissive and insensitive”.
Meanwhile, Juventus shares fell over five percent on the Italian stock exchange. Ronaldo’s move from Real Madrid to Juventus in the summer gave the Italian champions a huge boost, both on and off the field, as they continue their elusive bid for a first Champions League title since 1996. On September 20, shares rose 180 percent to a record level of over 1.80 euros.
But the Italian champions woke up to the sobering news on Friday that over five percent had been wiped off the value of their shares after the Milan stock exchange opened. At midday on Friday they were worth 1.25 euro a share.
With inputs from AFP
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